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Old June 22, 2013, 08:56 AM   #1
ttarp
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Mauser question

I've got this old K98 Mauser that looks like the barrel was never cleaned, its basically a smooth bore(or rough bore). I'd like to get it in shooting condition again. I recall reading somewhere about a barrel sleeve someone put in their Mauser, is this feasible at all? Or shy of just getting another Mauser what would be the best option here?
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Old June 22, 2013, 03:46 PM   #2
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Clean it thoroughly & see what the bore looks like, then make your decision.

Sleeving is a gunsmith option that may cost more than the rifle's worth.

Might be able to get a replacement barrel from Numrich, depending on model & availability.

Might be able to re-bore to a larger caliber.

All of which will cost money.
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Old June 22, 2013, 05:58 PM   #3
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Lining a barrel is typically done when you want to preserve the barrel marks or proof marks for collector value. Relining a barrel costs more than a new barrel, it is very machine intensive and labor intensive.

Lothar Walther sells barrels with the stepped military profile for rebarreling K98ks. They still need to be fitted and installed by a gunsmith. Very good quality barrels.
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Old June 22, 2013, 08:30 PM   #4
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"The Gun Parts Corporation" used to have plenty of used for sale. Actually, I recall buying 1 or 2 new barrels in 7mm Mauser for large ring. I think they were made in Israel.
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Old June 22, 2013, 11:11 PM   #5
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Forget the sleeve, rebarrel it. As long as the action is in good shape. Decent barrels can be had for $100 or so and then pay a gunsmith to chamber, finish, and install it. (another ~$100) You have several cartridge options besides just the standard 8x57js. 7x57, .257 roberts, and 6mm remington all share the same parent case. .308 is a popular barrel swap as well but any cartridge that uses the same bolt face diameter and isn't too long for the magazine will work.

Then what I personally would do is buy an aftermarket trigger/safety, good looking walnut sporter stock for it and have a nice "custom-ish" hunting rifle. But thats just me. Some prefer to keep it original but I love sporterized Mausers.
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Old June 23, 2013, 01:04 AM   #6
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I have a 1941 K98 that has a badly pitted barrel with strong rifling, and it shoots great.
The patches still come out dark grey, no matter how much I clean it.
I just accept it, and keep shooting it, very fun rifle !!
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Old June 23, 2013, 01:41 AM   #7
DPris
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The Gun Parts Corporation is Numrich.

Any option you choose other than shooting it as it is will cost money & may exceed the value of the gun.

If you just want to make an old rifle shootable, probably not worth it.

If you have some sentimental attachment to it, that'd be another matter.
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Old June 23, 2013, 12:54 PM   #8
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Thanks for the replies guys, I'll probably get a barrel from Numrich. This mauser is a real beater, I doubt its worth the trouble but I don't like to see it just sitting unused.
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Old June 23, 2013, 01:51 PM   #9
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Breathe new life into the old warrior with a new barrel. They are fine weapons and should be enjoyed!
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Old June 23, 2013, 01:59 PM   #10
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I agree, forget the liner option. I would rebarrel with a 12 twist 30 cal barrel and chamber it for 308. If you get the right size barrel (like a No 7 Douglas) get your gunsmith to take barrel down to .800" diameter 10" infront of action and mount a Weaver 92A scope base on it and install a NC Star 2-7X pistol scope and you are good for 600 yards easy. That is cheapest way I know to mount scope on mauser and also allows you to use the stripper clip slot reloading capability.
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Old June 23, 2013, 02:14 PM   #11
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If the action is in good shape its worth at least $100. There are alot of guys out there (myself included) looking for beat up old Mausers to use the action for a custom build. Especially if its a 1942 or earlier. Those actions are usually stronger and can tolerate higher pressures.

Look up the markings on your old Mauser, half the fun of owning one is learning the history behind it. There should be some numbers and letters on the top front of the action, those will tell you the place and year the action was made. If all the parts have matching serial #'s then you have more a valueable rifle than you might realize.
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Old June 27, 2013, 02:10 PM   #12
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Yes I agree to fix up. I have an old Mauser that I just took to lgs
They said action was good barrel ok but dirty and old stock damaged at rear
But they said to get a new stock and good to go. So I am ordering one soon.
I found my Dad had paid 20.00 for it years ago but I'm going to fix up and shoot!
Any ideas synthetic or laminated or just wood??
Thanks
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Old June 27, 2013, 06:28 PM   #13
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I have a Fajen walnut stock on my Mauser. It was on the rifle when I bought it but I've had it off the action a couple times and it seems to fit very tight and the rifle cosistenly is an MOA shooter with Hornady factory ammo. So it must be bedded well. The average 98K Mauser with the original military barrel won't usually group that well with factory ammo.
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Old July 1, 2013, 10:01 PM   #14
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check out Boyd's gun-stocks, I have a walnut sporter on my Yugo mauser and a laminate on my Spanish mauser.
Both very comfortable to shoot and I finished them myself , so cost was reasonable.
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Old July 2, 2013, 11:21 AM   #15
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What stock is in it now?
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Old July 8, 2013, 03:38 AM   #16
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Thanks Tahoe, the laminate ones look pretty good. The original is a blond wood but LGS said it was probably a remount because it looked to short on the barrel end. The butt was badly repaired at some point with bondo stuff and is now collected moisture and dry rotting from inside - so must be replaced to be safe.

I guess this will be a a spoterized one now. Nothing else to do but then it was only 20.00 back when my Dad bought it, so I can only improve it.
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Old July 8, 2013, 10:22 AM   #17
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Quote:
I guess this will be a a spoterized one now. Nothing else to do but then it was only 20.00 back when my Dad bought it, so I can only improve it.
What is it? If it is an otherwise unmolested German K98, original stocks are available, either original German ones or Israeli. Originals are expensive, but the Israeli ones are not too bad, ~$125 for stock, handguard and barrel bands.

The "because it looked to short on the barrel end" bit always gives me pause, because it could mean two different things. It could mean bubba cut it down to make a hunting rifle, or it could mean it was a GI Bringback with a duffel cut (stock cut roughly even with the rear barrel band) so it would fit in a duffel bag.

Granted, one is more likely than the other, but you never know.
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Old July 8, 2013, 03:59 PM   #18
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I will take a picture or find a picture that I took and let you see. I know nothing about them except from looking up some history online.

So far I measured the bottom bots and they are the 7-7/8", so that indicates it is a large ring Mauser. The guys at the gun shop said someone had painted over the receiving part on top, so he could not make out any marks.

I'll let you take a look. I have not even shot it yet but the LGS did say the action was good and springs tight.
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Old July 11, 2013, 12:10 PM   #19
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There are two options to try, before going for a new barrel, or relining the existing barrel.
First:

Shoot it! As is, well cleaned. The rifle may not be capable of decent accuracy with the current bore condition, or it may be. Some rifles still shoot acceptably well with bores that look like plowed fields. Take it out and shoot it a bit with different ammo. It may just surprise you and shoot better than it looks.

Or, it may not, and if not, all you are out is the cost of some ammo and time.

Second option, short of rebarreling...
once it is proven that the barrel is too worn to group with jacketed ammo, consider cast bullets.

Properly made (cast and sized) bullets fit to the specific rifle bore can deliver surprising accuracy from a "shot out" barrel. What you can't get from cast bullets is full jacketed bullet velocity and power, but velocities up to as much as 2200fps can be had from careful cast bullet loads without leading issues. (the devil is in the details, but it can be done).

It is possible that you could turn that worn out Mauser into an accurate rifle with nearly the power of a .30-30 just from using tailored handloads and cast bullets. Not a guarantee, but a possibility, and something to consider before you shell out for a new barrel.
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Old July 11, 2013, 04:38 PM   #20
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Well I did take it out to the range about a week ago, I brought a 15 round box of old surplus ammo and 12 of them fired. I had the target set pretty close at 25 yards and it was keyholing, the bullets hitting perfectly sideways at that range. I've been looking into reloading lately, I always figured I would start reloading 8mm when I got the Mauser in better shape.
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Old July 11, 2013, 08:25 PM   #21
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As some have mentioned, I'd want to find out if it's an original, matching gun (possibly a bringback) before making a decision, because you can't seem to find an original (non Russian capture) much under $1000-$1500 last time I checked a few years ago.
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Old July 13, 2013, 01:20 PM   #22
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Cole Distributing has Norwegian made 98K barrels made after WWII to convert their captured German rifles to 7.62 NATO. NOS, real good quality for the $120.00 it costs to buy & ship. Length & step contour match the 98K so everything fits (the original sights, stock, etc.) without any alterations. I have 2 and both shoot a lot better than some barrels I've paid a lot more money for over the years.
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